A ghost mannequin image shows a garment as if it were worn by someone who is not there. It looks simple, and that is the point. Behind it are two photographs and a sequence of decisions that either make the garment read as real or give it away as a cut-out.
Two shots, not one
The garment is photographed on a mannequin, front on. Then a second shot captures what the mannequin hides: the inside of the neck and the label, usually with the garment turned or opened. Without that second shot, the back of the neck has to be closed off, and it rarely looks right.
Separating the garment
The garment is cut away from the mannequin by hand. The edges that matter most are where fabric meets the form: the collar, the armholes and the hem. A path drawn too tight flattens the garment. One drawn too loose leaves a trace of the mannequin behind.
Rebuilding the neck
The inside neck from the second shot is placed back behind the collar, aligned to the curve of the neckline, with the label straight and the lining continuous. This is the step where the image either becomes a garment or stays an edit.
Shape and shadow
Sleeves, shoulders and hem are balanced so the garment sits straight, without warping the weave. Then depth goes back inside the neck, and a contact shadow goes underneath, so the piece sits on the page instead of floating on it.
One image is craft. A range is a standard.
The harder part is not one image. It is the whole range: the same neck shape, the same sleeve angle and the same shadow from the first product to the last. That only holds when the rules are written down before the first file is opened.
What to send
- The front on the mannequin, and the inside neck as a separate shot, under the same light.
- The same mannequin across the range, so the shape starts consistent.
- A physical sample or reference file for any colour that has to be exact.